Photo: Apple
Apple’s AirTag GPS tracker is causing legal trouble for the tech company, as two women have decided to file a lawsuit after the device was used for nefarious purposes, such as stalking.
The AirTag was developed to allow customers to track their belongings, including wallets and car keys. Thanks to its form factor, attaching it to valuables is very convenient, but at the same time, the reduced dimensions ended up becoming a double-edged sword.
Because it’s easy to hide it anywhere, criminals used AirTags to spy on or stalk their victims. The number of cases when an AirTag was planted in various places, including behind the license plates of cars, skyrocketed in the last 12 months, with police advising individuals to call 911 whenever they believe they are in danger.
Two women from California decided to file legal action against Apple after someone tracked them with an AirTag. Lauren Hughes and a second woman whose name was not revealed claim Apple’s warning system isn’t effective, as it doesn’t notify users they are tracked in a timely manner or fails to send a notification entirely.
AirTags rely on the Find My network to send their locations to master iPhones, so they connect to nearby Apple devices to go online. Whenever an AirTag is detected in the proximity of another iPhone, the owner receives a notification that a GPS tracker might be moving with them.
On Android, users need to download a dedicated application from the Google Play Store and manually scan for nearby AirTags whenever they believe they might be tracked. Rumor has it Google is also working on native detection of GPS trackers on Android, and the feature could launch in the summer on the next version of the operating system.
In the meantime, Huges said in court documents that she found the AirTag planted in the wheel well of her car. The GPS device was wrapped in a plastic bag, possibly to protect it from dirt and water.
Apple has already shipped software updates to make it more difficult for people to misuse the AirTag, but even so, the GPS tracker continues to double as a preferred tool for things like stalking. Police also confirmed that the number of reports signaling such uses of the AirTag increased significantly in the last few months.
Without a doubt, Android users are the ones most exposed to the nefarious uses of AirTags, especially as they need to manually scan for GPS trackers regularly. A recent report reveals that the unnamed woman found an AirTag GPS tracker hiding in her child’s backpack not once, but twice, though it’s not clear if she was using an Android smartphone or an iPhone. The device was allegedly planted by her ex-husband after the divorce.
Because it’s easy to hide it anywhere, criminals used AirTags to spy on or stalk their victims. The number of cases when an AirTag was planted in various places, including behind the license plates of cars, skyrocketed in the last 12 months, with police advising individuals to call 911 whenever they believe they are in danger.
Two women from California decided to file legal action against Apple after someone tracked them with an AirTag. Lauren Hughes and a second woman whose name was not revealed claim Apple’s warning system isn’t effective, as it doesn’t notify users they are tracked in a timely manner or fails to send a notification entirely.
AirTags rely on the Find My network to send their locations to master iPhones, so they connect to nearby Apple devices to go online. Whenever an AirTag is detected in the proximity of another iPhone, the owner receives a notification that a GPS tracker might be moving with them.
On Android, users need to download a dedicated application from the Google Play Store and manually scan for nearby AirTags whenever they believe they might be tracked. Rumor has it Google is also working on native detection of GPS trackers on Android, and the feature could launch in the summer on the next version of the operating system.
In the meantime, Huges said in court documents that she found the AirTag planted in the wheel well of her car. The GPS device was wrapped in a plastic bag, possibly to protect it from dirt and water.
Apple has already shipped software updates to make it more difficult for people to misuse the AirTag, but even so, the GPS tracker continues to double as a preferred tool for things like stalking. Police also confirmed that the number of reports signaling such uses of the AirTag increased significantly in the last few months.
Without a doubt, Android users are the ones most exposed to the nefarious uses of AirTags, especially as they need to manually scan for GPS trackers regularly. A recent report reveals that the unnamed woman found an AirTag GPS tracker hiding in her child’s backpack not once, but twice, though it’s not clear if she was using an Android smartphone or an iPhone. The device was allegedly planted by her ex-husband after the divorce.
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